Run DMZ

Run DMZ is going to go dark for the next several weeks. (And if I usually or even infrequently comment on your blog and it seems I haven't in awhile, it's not me. It's your blogging software telling me I'm not wanted.)

Now that I've raised everyone's social conscience about the true cost of our fresh food and other goods , I thought I'd focus on some of the benefits of those fruits, vegetables and another natural ingredient: the sun. A couple of weeks ago I attended a health conference and one session focused on treating the whole person through diet and exercise. Many of our "lifestyle diseases" such as type 2 diabetes come from poor choices and bad habits. I thought I knew it all, but here are some things I learned that surprised me. Vitamin D - Not as Easy to Get as You Think We all know that vitamin D is a key component of our everyday health, and that the best way to get it is from direct sun. (Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to depression.) What you may not know is that if you wear sunscreen, you not only block potentially harmful rays but also the beneficial ones. Similarly, once you ingest vitamin D through the skin or the stomach (in food or pill form), yo

After a succession of rainy weekends, I took one look at the blue peeking through the blinds early this morning and immediately threw on a pair of tights, technical shirt, shoes and the brand new Triple Trail Shell I received a week ago from Columbia Sportswear. Field testing winter gear when you live in San Diego is tricky, but the 48 degree air and chosen bike route were perfect to discern the colorful jacket's wind resistance and wickability. When it's warm, you live for the breezes on long downhills and dread the heat generated on the climbs. But when late fall and winter arrives, it's the reverse. The winds tear at your face, ears and limbs as you barrel down steep parts of bike paths; you start longing for a different discomfort from leg churn. Today was different, and I think it's because of this jacket. First: a disclosure. I immediately fell in love with this jacket before I even tried it on or read about the technology to keep you 20% warmer by reflecting b

I just came across an app that immediately intrigued me because it brings awareness to something way too often overlooked in this country. It's called The Slavery Footprint , and I found out about it this morning courtesy of this post . Living in California, and traveling regularly through the Central Valley where a bulk of everyone's U.S.-bred fruits and nuts are produced, I became keenly aware of how poorly farmhands are treated in this country. I even blogged about it several years ago . Some of us tend to feel morally superior because of the foods and lifestyle choices we make. After taking this "test," perhaps that piety will recede a bit. After you take it, you can share your score if you wish. Personally, I'm embarrassed by mine.

For a change, this post isn't about me. It's about you. Laura V. is the author of a book and blog about productivity and also is a runner, the kind that apparently is fit enough to run through pregnancies and start up again within weeks of giving birth. One of her recent posts asks people to consider how they are motivated and uses marathons as a metaphor. Basically, she boils marathon training and race day strategy into two camps: those who prefer to turn inward and those that gravitate toward external sources to get them to the finish line as fast as they can. And a marathon is a great example because shorter races require a different strategy, but regardless of how well you plan to run a marathon, there are more variables. Even the elites blow it if the weather isn't right, their nutrition or hydration backfire or an injury flares up. So here's my question: Which is more important to you - being motivated by the clock or being motivated by other people? You can&

Remember my friend Jessie that we all helped get out of Iceland for her honeymoon ? Well, she sent some pictures from her wedding ceremony and I wanted to share our favorite. I do not know the photographer and it's possible this may only stay up a few days. But I'd like to think part of Jessie's jubilation in this shot is because a lot of people she didn't know played a part in how she will begin her marriage. Thank you! Thank you!